March 31, 2019

God’s Grace & Strength

Preacher:
Passage: 2 Corinthians 11:22-12:10
Service Type:

Bible Text: 2 Corinthians 11:22-12:10 | Preacher: Paul Williams | Series: Visiting Preachers | Introduction

v9 – “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness”
God sometimes permits thorns to come into our lives in order to minister to us

It may seem odd
The ministry of the thorn has enable countless Christians to grow closer to God

Paul’s thorn

In the flesh
To perhaps find help in the hindrances

What do we learn?

Three things

A Source of Pain

Not a minor inconvenience 

A massive blow to his ministry
Thorn (v7) – not a rose thorn but a spike or a stake

Something that would have been used in torture
Used in the extreme

Speculation:

A kind of spiritual attack: some sin or particular temptation
A physical problem:

Gal 4:13 – he had “physical infirmity”
Gal 4:15 – maybe an eye complaint

Persecution by various opponents

Not sufficient information to be categorically certain

Paul identifies with infirmities, reproaches, in need, in persecutions and in distress

A messenger of satan – a demon: some form of demonic attack (v7)

People were directly attacking his gospel ministry and discrediting the gospel

Paul thought the best thing was to completely remove it

We might think the same thing

Paul prayed 3 times – he prayed continuously that God would remove the thorn in his flesh

God only spoke to him when he finished praying (v9)
Sometimes we are so busy telling God to remove the problem that we don’t hear Him speaking to us through the problem

A Word of Comfort

A two fold word of comfort:

Purpose – “lest I be exalted above measure” (x2) – v7

Quote from Gordon MacDonald – God uses ‘disruptive moments’

[Provision]

Purpose

He had an exalted experience of God 14 years ago – caught up into the Third Heaven

He speaks about himself in the 3rd person
He humbles himself in contrast to the ‘supra-apostles’

Explanation of the Third Heaven

Compare with Enoch and Elijah

He did not become proud and puffed up
This thorn came into his life to humble him, to buffet him

He learns how God can use broken people – earthen vessels
This is his experience

Provision

Provision – God makes provision in our sufficient: My grace is sufficient

Illustrative Story of CH Spurgeon

The infinite riches of God’s grace
Unlimited stores of grace

“God’s strength is made perfect in weakness”

The same word when Christ on the cross says “it is finished”
Something complete

Example of King Uzziah

A Means of Blessing

Paul’s weakness became his strength

Has this not been our experience?
On the mountain tops – our hearts often go cold, in the valleys – we are often brought to our knees before God

God will use the thorns to make us more effective in His service

Paul boasts in his infirmities because he is strong in Christ
In his weakness he sees God strength
He realises that this thorn is actually a blessing

Example of Jacob & Elijah
Illustration from Chuck Swindall